Meet Cecelia Moreno of Crest Cafe in Hillcrest

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cecelia Moreno.

Cecelia, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I learned the Restaurant Business from my Father Luis who had been in the restaurant industry since 1961. After graduating from the University Of California Irvine I began learning how to manage and operate the Crest Cafe. I loved working side by side with my father and greatly appreciate the values he instilled in me, particularly his work ethic. I currently work alongside my cousin Ruben Medina who is really like a brother to me. My father recently passed away but we honor his legacy by continuing working hard and using all the tools that he gave to us.

We are the second generation here at the Crest Cafe. Ruben manages the kitchen and I run the Front of the house so we are quite the team. We have many long-term loyal employees and many regular customers that make us feel like we are all part of the family. We are celebrating our 35th year in Hillcrest. We are native to San Diego; Ruben raised his children here. We volunteer in our community and love to participate in all the various events that Hillcrest holds throughout the year.

Our philosophy is that we are here for our diverse community and strive to offer a full-service atmosphere at fast-casual prices. We serve what we enjoy eating and have a huge variety of homemade from scratch recipes; we have over 120 items on our menu and save all menus all the time 365 days a year.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My philosophy has always been to work smart and work hard. The struggles on a day to day basis has always been what can I do to do better. I never rest on my laurels and never take anything for granted. This business is not for the faint of heart. One needs to be present in their small business all the time.

The biggest and most painful struggle has been dealing with social media pits of negativity and learning that one cannot control others’ actions; one can only control ones’ reaction to it. I admit I get my feelings hurt. The most recent struggle has been losing both my parents within three years to cancer. But I try to stay focused and keep busy and actually work helps with that.

Please tell us about Crest Cafe.
Our business success can be summed up fairly simply: Quality, consistency, stability and always attempting to DO GOOD WORK. I am most proud of our longevity.

If you had to start over, what would you have done differently?
I would have purchased a full liquor license and added a bit more space for a bar. Currently, we have only beer and wine and have nowhere to expand.

Contact Info:

• Address: 425 Robinson Ave. San Diego Ca 92103
• Website: crestcafe.net
• Phone: 619-295-2510
• Email: crestcafeboss@gmail.com

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